Tomura's Torment
by Tweepa
Summary: The League of Villains finds a healer for their party. Tomura Shigaraki gets a punching bag for his frustrations. Trigger warnings: Let's just assume everything. Dark story ahead!
1. Chapter 1

All at once, Akemi Sanada felt the world around her shrink. An overwhelming sense of claustrophobia had her ineffectively shoving at the teal barrier that tugged her into a dimension of nothingness. Trapped in a world of her own, she watched the world move at a breakneck pace before darkness flooded over her. As a child with a healing quirk, she had experienced little discomfort in life. Unlike heroes who had to be cutthroat with one another, medical personnel were hired in droves, as to keep up with the supply of broken bodies thanks to heroes and villains alike. For far too long she sat enveloped in the shroud of blackness. Thanks to her small size, every sound became an incomprehensible catastrophe of noise in her ears. By the time she was freed from her prison, she had shoved her hands over her ears.

"She needs to bleed more," a feminine voice declared.

Akemi turned to face the speaker, her waist-length,cobalt blue hair swaying as she tried to keep up. Just as she began to focus on one face, someone else commented.

"I didn't take you for a pervert, Compress," a black haired young man sneered.

"This is the one Giran said to acquire," Compress defended.

"So, girl, what can you do?" The last voice was nothing more than a lazy drawl. The speaker seemed to have already made up his mind up about her and spoke as if her end loomed about the corner.

The others fell silent. Slowly, Akemi earnestly investigated the six figures in the room. The first man looked as if he was missing fifty percent of the skin on his body. She noticed the blood-obsessed blonde next, who looked like a normal high school girl with crazy eyes and a persistent scowl. Then there was the man whose pocket she'd come out of - Compress. He wore a bolero tie with a suit vest and dress slacks. Beside him was a reptilian looking man; complete with green, scaly skin and a snout. Last of all was a fellow in a full body, mostly black suit. While she had looked around, the League's gray haired leader stepped toward Akemi and grabbed her by the back of the head.

"_I asked you a question_," he whispered threateningly. For the scant moment that Akemi could meet his eyes, she saw madness and loathing settled deep into the darkest corners of his soul. She squirmed, trying to put distance between the madman and herself, only for the pressure to disappear. His free hand gripped her forearm tightly. "Ahh!" Akemi shouted, writhing with the unexpected pain. Her host cackled and released his hold. "If she can't heal it, you can burn her, Dabi."

"Whatever."

Akemi dropped to her knees and placed her palm over her injury, wincing as she noticed her flaking, deteriorated skin and the exposed muscle beneath it. While she healed herself, the grey haired man crouched down and watched the process. Almost the instant her flesh had returned, he reached out and stuck his hand over her mouth. "You'll be an excellent stress reliever," he giggled - a child with a new toy. "Welcome to the League of Villains."

* * *

_Converts oxygen into cells. If she is in a place with no oxygen, there can be no new cells made. Generated cells have to anchor off existing cells._

* * *

Tomura Shigaraki had more than enough stress on his plate with All For One incarcerated. He was expected to rise to the occasion of leadership without any backing beyond the five lugs who had followed him, Giran, and a potential recruit who Dabi claimed may pan out. All of his thoughts were pushed aside as he zeroed in on their captive. If what Giran's said file was accurate, nobody would miss the self-absorbed, narcissistic student. "You're selfish," he sneered, drawing his face beside the girl's as he pinched his fingers. He cupped carefully over her ruined features to muffle her screams. "Nobody likes you."

He couldn't help but feel satisfied when he saw tears roll down to her exposed cheeks. Shigaraki pushed himself away, content with the trial. Without giving her any command, she fumbled to her ruined face and began to reconstruct her features. Anyone else may have thought her beautiful, but Shigaraki hated the perfection of her unblemished canvas. Back when he was younger and the scars were fresh, seeping wounds, Shigaraki recalled how repulsed he'd been every time he looked in a mirror. Even in his villain getup, he made sure to place his father's hand over his face. If his memory served, his father had been a decent looking, so he showed that single remaining part to the world - as opposed to having his hideous mug slapped over wanted posters.

It only took a minute before she had regained perfection. "Now let's see how you handle internal injuries," Shigaraki said as he drew his leg back and kicked her in the stomach. He didn't care that Compress had made it a point to look away, or that Spinner had his jaw set. Though Shigaraki wanted to do so much more, he knew it was important to keep his few followers appeased. They had to be in it together - a single entity. Or they would meet their end. There was a satisfying thud as his shoe slammed against her gut.

Slowly, she reached to the point of impact and replicated the healing. He watched tense breathing become no more than a slower, steadier gulp of breath. At last, there was a toy he couldn't break. Shigaraki as giddy as a child on Christmas morning. "You have one night to rebuild Compress's arm. Don't disappoint me."

* * *

_I apologize to anyone who is reading my other works, but I got inspiration for a fairly dark story. I promise I will finish Alien Fever and A True Hero. As for triggers, this is the one and only trigger warning I'm gonna give. This is not a happy story. The only thing I CAN promise, is that there will be no flaying - because that is my one personal limit. Otherwise, everything else is fair game. Feel free to leave suggestions and criticisms in the reviews. Future chapters will likely be doubled in length from the prologue._


	2. Chapter 2

As far as Tomura knew, they were in someone's old hunting lodge. There was one bed in the dusty and disfigured hovel. Every night, a different person was given the opportunity to rest. As of yet, they had spent the longest time in the little corner of nowhere. Ten days. Based on the bullet sized holes in the splintered walls and moss overtaking the unkempt roof, Tomura suspected it was a bandit hideout or drug pickup. His hope was they could steal contraband from weaker villains and sell to Giran, but the hope seemed to be fruitless. He stepped out of the lodge to get some air, giving Sanada room to work. Mostly, he didn't want to beat his punching bag until it broke. If he expected her to recreate an arm, he needed to give her some respite. After that, her usefulness was limited.

Before this, he hadn't gone camping. All For One had never seen the purpose in roughing it. The rest of his motley crew were urban explorers, at best. All of them had an abundance of experience cornering people in alleys, but nobody knew the first thing about survival. Trial and error had the tasks divied up fairly. Spinner and Toga used their knives to hunt, though they could only take out birds and small game. Tomura skinned them by decaying away their fur, fish, or feathers. Dabi made a fire, which only took him a second of effort. Twice cooked, though he was hit or miss with the end results. Compress kept an eye on the camp, never letting anyone in or out unless he knew where they were going.

Their very first night, the League of Villains had stared at the stars in awe. Tomura didn't know why he found the celestial twinkling so mystifying, but they captured him like a moth to a flame. Their power over him infuriated the leader to his core. _They're not that great. Just big balls of gas._

He had no idea how much time passed before he went inside again. Twice and Toga had claimed the bed. Dabi sat in a winged armchair, on what must have once been a fine piece of furniture. Now the brown leather was cracked, scratched, and lumpy. It was so symbolic of the League that Tomura wanted to order Dabi to burn the chair. _That'd be stupid_, he told himself. _Then we'd be even less comfortable than we are now._ He turned to look at the main show - Compress and Sanada on the couch. Though Compress had removed his hard mask, he still had his black skimask hiding all but his eyes and mouth. Slowly but surely, he had regained a stump down to his elbow. He was impressed, but not inclined to show it. "Are you going to take all fucking night? Get on with it."

Neither the healer nor her patient so much as looked at him, which pissed him off even more. "Leave it alone," Dabi sighed, anticipating Tomura's moodswing. "Some quirks actually take concentration."

"How would you know, Flameo?" He kept his voice low, unintentionally trying to allow the healer to work. "All you do is light shit on fire." Tomura plopped into a rickety seat beside the table, as every other seat was already taken. He watched for only seconds when something interrupted him. In this case, it was Spinner vacating the bathroom.

Spinner only glanced at Compress's stub before he looked like he was going to hurl. "I'm going to the roof," he said with as much of a huff as he could manage.

"Don't puke up there," Dabi taunted, his proverbial grin only adding to the mockery.

As Spinner walked out, Tomura was struck with a sudden idea. "Are you going to have the bitch fix your ugly mug?"

Dabi seemed perfectly indifferent to the stump and the bone poking from it. "Maybe."

His quiet answer seemed more aloof than thoughtful, as if he were trying to get Tomura off his back. Tomura relented and quieted. At some point, he fell asleep in his janky perch. He awakened with his thumbs instinctually tucked against his palms and cheeks resting atop them, supported by his knees propped on his elbows. Sunlight cut unpleasantly into his eyes, causing him to blink and shield his face with the back of his arm. Compress had his new arm cradled in the old one, where he carefully moved his fingertips up. He shifted his stance and looked around for the captive. He didn't have to search long before finding her asleep on the ground in a position that implied she'd passed out rather than drifted off to a peaceful slumber.

"What do you think, Compress? Is it functional?" As commanding as he appeared, he trusted all of his comrades and valued their respect, as well as their input. It helped that none of them had any leadership qualities. Dabi was undermotivated. Spinner was a Stain do-over. Toga was essentially a walking blade. Compress was happy to have moments in the spotlight, but far more content to let others call the shots. Twice was too unstable to do anything more than wipe his ass if he didn't have his hood on. They were birds of a feather. As for the girl, he could probably get rid of her with little worries, if she acted up sooner rather than later. Too much time and the oddballs could grow fond of the bitch.

Compress twisted to expose his freshly created forearm. "Everything feels excellent." He slid some air into a compressed marble, testing his quirk. "The skin is different. It's much younger and softer than the rest of me, but that can't be helped."

Dabi apparently wasn't asleep. "You could leave villany behind and become a hand model."

"I wonder if my fingerprints have changed," Compress mused.

Roused by the chatter, Toga and Twice left the bed. As soon as the latter noticed his comrade's new limb, he pointed dramatically between Tomura and the healer. "Is she dead?" He exclaimed, following a split second later with a loud, "_Good!_"

"Ah, no. She passed out shortly after completing the work. I suggested she stop, but that made her angry." Compress stood and stretched upwards, apparently unworried.

Tomura was intrigued. "Angry, you say? What an odd response for a healer." She had done her part, so he decided to let her rest. "Compress, put her back in her cage. I'm going out. Twice, Toga, you're with me. Be sure to pack lightly." Aside from the clothes on their back, none of them had a thing. Then again, "Compress, give me your arm. We can sell it back to Giran when we see him." There was no reluctance from Compress, who happily handed over his prosthetic.

* * *

Akemi didn't like that she was in a marble again. Even more, she hated that she had shown her kidnappers weakness on her very first day. She'd been in shock and had played right into their hands; filling the role of victim with nothing short of stereotypical efficiency. From behind the teal glass, she saw the cabin from a new angle. Shrunk as she was, it looked to be a giant's lair. She stood and tried to take a step forward. Surely, a miniscule orb would move with such an easy shift? Akemi stomped once. _Nothing_. It took half an hour for her captors to notice she was awake.

The disorientation of regaining dozens of kilograms a second and overusing her quirk had her head spinning. Akemi stumbled and dropped to her knees. Once down, she breathed deeply in her nose and exhaled through her mouth, expanding her lungs. "I'd thank you for the arm," Compress said, reaching out to help her to her feet, "but it's not as if you truly had a choice." Akemi ignored his attempt at contact and got up on her own. As far as she could tell, the only sourpuss was the guy with the gray hair. Everyone else seemed to follow him, but not necessarily his example. _Tomura Shigaraki_, she recalled, remembering the news reports. Once vertical, she brushed off her pants, as if expecting to have dirt clinging to her.

A green man, _Spinner_, walked through the door with several fish dangling from his grasp. "Hey," he greeted his comrades. Akemi saw Dabi, Spinner, and Compress, but no Shigaraki, Toga, or Twice.

"Welcome back," Compress answered, ever the gentleman.

Dabi leaned onto the chair's back two legs. "Lizard. Give the healer a knife. She's cooking tonight."

Spinner furrowed his scales, as he didn't have eyebrows. "Just who put you in charge?"

"I did." There was only a second of resistance before Spinner did as he was asked. "Here," he snapped at Akemi, as if it were her fault she was in charge of cooking. She numbly accepted the sharp blade and walked over to the sink.

"The water's out," Compress stated, rising. "We'll have to go down to the river." _We? _Dabi didn't look like he was going to move. Spinner sunk down on the single old sofa in the room, putting himself at a distance. Not only would he not meet her eye, he made it a point not to look at her whenever she faced him. Though her legs felt like lead and she wanted nothing more than to lay down, she decided not to press her luck. Akemi stepped out of the cabin with Compress close behind her. "Your file didn't say anything about you being a mute."

Akemi kept moving forward, her arms filled with several trout. "You don't need to follow me. The river's easy enough to see." She wanted to be alone, but knew her situation wouldn't permit such freedoms. Captives were only trusted by idiots.

"I'll be there in case you get any ideas," Compress answered, smirking at her boldness. "Are you going to put up a fight?"

Akemi shook her head. Physically, she was average for a citizen, but far, _far_ beneath a hero or high-tier villain. She kneeled beside the bank and scraped off the scales. Compress leaned over and picked up a pebble. First he bounced it in his palm. Once he was sure of its marginal weight, he tossed it into the current. "You know, they say to never trust the quiet ones. Keep this up and you'll annoy Shigaraki." He made no comment on his strength, so she figured he was satisfied. "Shigaraki and Toga are the ones to watch," he warned.

_He's nuts. Dabi's the serial killer._

"Spinner and I are the least likely to commit random acts of violence, but we'll do almost anything Shigaraki asks. It'd be in your best interests to appease him." Akemi finished her task. Since she didn't have anything else to use, she piled the rinsed fish into her shirt and walked back to the crumbling hovel, leaving the knife by the bank. She saw Compress retrieve the weapon before joining her. When they got close, Compress opened the door, allowing Akemi to walk unimpeded. She stepped across the threshold and went to the table, where she dumped the dinner unceremoniously across the dirty surface.


	3. Chapter 3

**Unfortunately, this will be the last chapter I will post on Fanfic, as things are going to escalate quickly. Check for the rest of this story on AO3; where it is also named **_**Tomura's Torment**_**. I'm sorry to switch sites after giving you such a small taste, but from here on out my stuff won't comply with Fanfic's terms.**

* * *

In a way, Dabi's mother had been a kidnapping victim. His first murders had been of his grandparents; the ones who sold her to Endeavor like a prized broodmare. He couldn't help but be aware of Sanada, who didn't make a peep. Though Rei Todoroki had known she would be beaten or degraded, she had been vocal and tenacious in her unrelenting desire to protect her children. Not that it ever worked. He wondered what was closer to normalcy - his mother's screams or Sanada's commitment to silence. "If you want it cooked, you'd better ask nicely," he gestured to the wood burning stove with a blue flame filling his palm. He never expected for her to take a bite of the raw trout. Dabi smirked, his turquoise eyes meeting her amber ones. He stood and lit the kindling anyway.

"Disgusting," Spinner muttered. "Behaving like an animal."

Dabi cooked his food and ate in silence. Spinner and Compress discussed what the League should do next. Dabi tuned them out, as he was familiar with the topic. Find allies. He smirked at Sanada's stubbornness as she finished the rest of the fish perfectly raw. As soon as he was done, he jerked his head. "Let's go," he said to her. To Spinner and Compress, he relayed, "we'll be back," before heading out the door. There was no taxi that would pick him up, not that he had the money for it, so he had to come across a new method of travel. Dabi tugged a phone from his pocket and dialed one of the few numbers in its contacts. He heard the door pause in its swing before shutting. "Oi, Ujiko. Take me and the healer back to the city."

He didn't even flinch when black sludge poured from his mouth. He almost laughed when he saw Sanada's look of revulsion. Once the sludge cleared, the fresh forest air was replaced with the thin haze of an overpopulated city. Dabi slid his hands into his pockets and began walking. He knew exactly where they were going, as did Sanada if she had any sort of brains. They rounded corner after corner, eventually arriving at their destination. Dabi stepped back and let Sanada punch in the code.

* * *

She knew resistance would be futile. As much as she'd survived, Dabi's cremation would easily be the death of her. _I've done everything they've asked!, _she thought hollowly, as if unable to comprehend why they were there. Sanada remained a pace behind Dabi as walked up the stairs. She had been out for a jog when they took her. When they reached her unit, Dabi gestured pointedly, which Akemi took as her cue to unlock the door. Slowly, she fished her key from her pocket and jabbed it into the hole. Slowly, she twisted and heard the bolt disengage.

"Akemi?" Her mother asked. When Akemi didn't instantly respond, her mother stormed out from her room. Average height and with slightly darker blue hair tugged into a severe bun at the base of her neck, she looked like a stereotypical librarian. The mother's golden eyes lazily moved over Dabi. "You've been gone all night, then you come back with this _delinquent_?" Dabi put his hand up and leaned back, as if positioning himself for a significant force. "Get out of my face-" He blasted the older woman to smithereens, eliminating the scourge of Akemi's life in a matter of seconds.

Dabi strolled to the kitchen sink and filled a nearby bowl. "Was that your mom?" Dabi plopped a fair amount of water on the smoldering ashes, leaving only a scuff mark of cinders where the woman had had been incinerated. Akemi was too shocked to register that the sodden pile of matter was her mother. She numbly watched Dabi scoop up the remnants and toss them down the sink. Dabi noticed the silence and decided to comment. "What will it take to get a normal reaction out of you? Most people kick and scream when they see family members killed."

He dropped the bowl; allowing the glass shatter and roll along the finely polished floors. _She made sure everything always looked perfect. _Akemi didn't know what to do, as he hadn't given a command, so she stood perfectly still. Resistance generally led to a punishment. She couldn't find a shred of sorrow for the woman who had raised her into what she was today.

"Lemmie guess. You were beat as a kid." Dabi poured himself a glass of water and raided the fridge.

Akemi shook her head. Almost immediately, Dabi fired a shot to her feet, only narrowly avoiding burning her running shoes. Akemi stayed still and closed her eyes for only a second. As soon as she felt she'd calmed the panic, she focused on Dabi again. "Liars are such a drag." His low voice was a warning. Dabi came closer, leering tauntingly. His fingers grabbed her chin and forced her to look him square in the face. Akemi couldn't help but want to heal his desecrated features, but kept herself perfectly still. She knew that any motion could set him off. As her amber eyes met his turquoise ones, Akemi knew that nothing about Dabi would be stereotypical.

* * *

Dabi couldn't fathom how she could make such a face. She didn't dare look defiant, but there was no empathy for her freshly murdered mother. He could tell she was a kindred spirit - another grown child ruined by the mistakes of others. The fact that the healer was so quiet only fueled his suspicion that she had stared madness in the face many times before. "I can see why nobody will miss you. You're a stone cold bitch." Yet he couldn't help but be fascinated. Dabi released his grip along her jawbone and walked around the too clean home. He strolled to the kitchen and opened a cabinet at random, only to be greeted by a perfectly stacked set of pots. "How fucking anal can you get?" Dabi muttered, slamming the door shut with a loud clatter. The healer stayed still, which angered and amused him in equal measure. He had gotten used to people fighting back. "Does anyone else live here?" He wanted to know just how much time they'd have before someone found them.

"No," she answered, her eyes never leaving him.

"Good." Dabi pulled a flip phone from his back pocket and dialed one of the few numbers he bothered to memorize. "_Hey, get over to,"_ he gave the address of Sanada's apartment. "_Shigaraki wants to meet you."_ He only waited for the affirmative answer before he hung up. He couldn't help but stare at the healer, waiting for her to look anything other than distant. Taunting her hadn't worked. He rolled through what else he could do to get a reaction. "Give me your hand." He didn't walk over, but waited expectantly for her to follow the direction.

Unlike Rei Todoroki, Akemi Sanada did as she was told. Before she had taken her second step, he retracted the command. "Stop." He grinned when she did. "You better resist more or I'll make your life hell. Don't you know how to be a hostage? It's about entertaining me, not appeasing me." At last, she seemed to find another emotion. He saw how confused she was and chuckled. "Fight back." He shoved his fingers through her hair and knotted the cobalt strands into his fist. "Quit acting like a fucking slave." He watched the prolonged uncertainty flicker in her eyes. She was only a few centimeters taller than Toga. "How old are you?"

"Twenty."

"You don't look that old." He tugged harder, but she didn't wince. "Why aren't you sniveling and screaming like a normal person?"

Much to his surprise, she shrugged. "Sorry."

The fact that she apologized had him hooked. Dabi adjusted his hold until he had his palm over the nape of her neck. "We'll have a visitor shortly that I need to test. You will _beg_ him to save you and act like a coward. If he takes you, you're allowed to go. I'll tell Shigaraki I killed you. If he doesn't buy your act or doesn't help you out of here, then you're stuck with us for whatever short, sad life you have left." He saw the obvious distrust flicker across his face, flanked swiftly by begrudging acceptance. For others, the changes were minute and subtle, but Dabi could read the microexpressions like his life depended on it.

* * *

Hawks checked the number of the apartment twice before knocking, and once more when a startlingly beautiful woman answered the door. "I'm supposed to meet a friend here," he said casually, tugging one of his hands from his pockets to scratch at his head.

"He's in the bathroom," she assured him.

Hawks had to fight from letting his feathers investigate the claim. At every turn in his investigation, he felt as if he was a donkey strung along for the promise of a carrot. The government told him to spy on the League. The League told him to show his earnestness. No matter what he did, he was playing for one side or the other. Thus was the life of a double agent. "May I come in?" He had to show trust, or the relationship wouldn't get far. She nodded, so he took a few steps and began to remove his shoes. Belatedly, he noticed hers were still on and kept his as well. He noted the glass on the floor and a fresh scorch mark. "I haven't seen you around before. Are you new?" While waiting for Dabi, he may as well try to make conversation.

"I'm a hostage," she admitted.

_It's a test._ He knew to tread carefully. "What's your name?" His urge to be trusted and his want to save someone battled fiercely within him.

"Sanada Akemi."

The name didn't ring any bells. "Well, Sanada, that sucks that you're kidnapped." Hawks felt heartless as he said it. He ran through different ideas in his head, but could find no way to save her without making his involvement blatantly obvious. _It'll have to be weeks or months from now, so someone else can notice her. By then… _He didn't hold out hopes that she would last long. She looked to be physically average, which was a great deal less fit than most of the heroes and villains in the world; especially the battle hardened members of the League.

Sanada made it hard to ignore her cry for help. "Please," she said lowly, her voice cautious and anxious. "Shigaraki said he wanted me to be his punching bag. He keeps hurting me. I need help."

The government had told him to do whatever it took to gain the League's trust. Not only would they not care about Sanada's death. They'd encourage it - so long as her corpse served as a stepping stone on their path to victory. Unfortunately, Sanada was unimportant. Dispensable in the grand scheme of things. Hawks forced his voice to sound nonchalant for is response. "Sorry, lady. I'm not gonna help you. Call a friend for that." Hawks was the perfect actor. He sounded so dismissive that it made his soul hurt.

"I don't have any friends." She sounded defeated, as if there was nothing she could do to fix it.

He had to play along. "It sounds to me like you should have reevaluated your life long before being taken captive." Dabi slow clapped as he rounded the corner. As Hawks expected, the man had been listening the entire time. Sanada seemed to deflate in Dabi's presence. She didn't hunch or flinch, but the few emotions she'd showed before seemed to wither into uncertainty. Hawks couldn't blame her. Dabi was a maniac.

"That was a better act than you put on earlier," Dabi said, his eyes on Hawks. "I almost thought you didn't care." Dabi brushed her long blue hair over Sanada's left shoulder and put his hand on the small of the healers back. "Stab her or I'll burn her."

_If he knew all along, then why'd he drag me out here? _Hawks brushed away his confusion and pulled out one of his swords. Sanada's hand twitched automatically, but he wasn't sure what to make of the minute motion. There was hardly a good place to impale someone, but he had to listen. For the good of others, he'd sell his soul. _Heroes have a right to be bored._ He jabbed his long, blade-like feather into Sanada's forearm, careful to avoid any major arteries. He hadn't been told to kill. Hawks couldn't help but notice that she didn't wince. _How long has Shigaraki had her?_ If he got out of the apartment, he could report to headquarters immediately and begin a search. Surely she had some family that missed her.

"Leave it there." Dabi instructed and Hawks relinquished his hold, leaving the feather embedded in her flesh. Hawks saw Sanada take a shaky breath. "Don't you want to stab him back?"

* * *

Dabi only used the very tips of his fingers to lightly incinerate Sanada. His cremation broke through her tank top and flesh easily enough. It was restraining himself that took the most effort. In his own way, he planned on forcing Sanada to stop being such a coward and to face her assailants. _I'm being a hero, Dad. Aren't you proud?_ If she insisted on being a puppet, he would at least give her some longer strings. He stopped his quirk when he saw her hand raise. She slowly tugged the blade from her flesh, her only sign of pain was a slightly longer blink, as if she didn't want to wince.

The last thing he expected was for her to turn towards him and try to slash his gut. He incinerated the blade and snickered. "Not bad, Healer." He glanced at Hawks. "Restrain her gently, would ya? I don't wanna get too close." Dabi wanted to see how far Hawks was willing to take his act of villainy. The pro hero swiftly pulled both of Sanada's hands into his grip and held her steady. "You're both tools," Dabi told them. He began with Hawks. "You were clearly told to spy on us. You're not a particularly motivated guy, but here you are playing along with the corrupt government; posing as an idol." His next words were for Sanada. "You've clearly been beaten for a long time. Use your quirk and make yourself a spine, already."

He saw his words hit home on both of the captures. Dabi knew people well and prided himself on seeing into a person's true nature. That's how he could tell when a recruit was the real deal or not. That is how he decided to follow Shigaraki, even when the maniac proved he wouldn't hold to Stain's ideals. Dabi wanted the world to burn. Though neither of them seemed to know it yet, they were both the real deal and would become loyal assets to the League. Society had fucked them too badly for them to not want a change.

* * *

Sanada never had anyone care enough to see why she was so quiet. Her silence was taken as arrogance and bitchiness. Every moment she was at home, Sanada had been forced to study from the rows of perfect, unmarked textbooks lining her room. She felt Hawks' hands brush against the bare, raw burn at her back. After so many years of beatings, she subconsciously suppressed the pain that was supposed to accompany it.

All she could think to do was stomp on Hawks' foot. She figured it wouldn't work. He was the number two hero, after all. Maybe it was dumb luck, or maybe Dabi had struck a chord with the pro, but she managed to startle him enough to loosen his grip. It was enough for her to tug one arm free, but not so much that she was totally released. Hawks gripped her remaining wrist tighter and twisted, making her arm bend behind her back and slam into her fresh injury.

She wanted to be mad, but all she could feel was the familiar sense of defeat. Dabi sent a blast of fire at both. Hawks dodged, taking Sanada with him. She and Hawks dropped to the ground. Immediately afterwards, Hawks rolled to the side, where he hovered over her. While not straddling her, one knee was on her chest while the other was on the ground. Shards of glass cut into her limbs, creating slices over her skin. Sanada used her free hand to grab a hefty hunk of broken bowl an stab it into Hawks' thigh. Hawks winced and drew back, giving her some much needed space.

Sanada heard a chair slide and twist. She looked away from Hawks to see Dabi take a seat, a large grin settled on his marred features. "Good enough."


End file.
